The Hattiesburg, Petal and Forrest County Library is located in Forrest County, Mississippi. This public library system is headquartered in Hattiesburg, MS, and has an additional branch in Petal, MS. The library began serving the community's reading needs with a circulating collection of books in 1916. That same year it moved to the first floor room of the Forrest County Courthouse. During World War I, the American Library Association established twelve branch libraries in Hattiesburg to serve citizens and soldiers at Camp Shelby. Then the first public library building was dedicated on Main Street Hattiesburg in May 1930. The current building opened in March 1996 and is located at 329 Hardy Street. The library features tributes to the state in the Mississippi Tower, Mississippi Room, Genealogy and Observation Level, and Author Walk honoring Mississippi's great authors. The centerpiece is The Spirit That Builds, a 10-foot-tall, 167-foot-wide mural that hangs 30 feet above the circulation desk. It showcases the history of Hattiesburg in an artistic vision painted by University of Southern Mississippi art professor William Baggett. (Greiner, 2004, pp. 175-178) The library offers: 1) a wide selection of fiction, nonfiction, reference, and children's materials; 2) a growing collection of MP3/Play-A-Way and books on CD; 3) DVDs and VHS cassettes for circulation; 4) two computer laboratories for public use; 5) several specialized book clubs and story times; 6) a beautiful, welcoming building and ample seating; 7) Wi-Fi connections throughout the library, including the always popular Reading Room; 8) study rooms available to users for study sessions or meetings; 9) exhibition space for collections and rotating exhibitions; and 1...... middle of paper...... Forrest County, n.d.) The sources used to obtain demographic and socioeconomic data for this report were from the United States Census Bureau and the Nielson My Best Segments website. Information is also included from the library website and various other websites to compile historical data and information. This library system uses all the technologies and materials at their disposal to serve the community in the best possible way. Although some social indicators and demographic statistics indicate that the library should not be overused, it is thriving and widely used. There are areas that the library can try to improve based on statistical evidence, such as reaching the low-income population and the 55+ age group. This library seems to meet numerous needs for a wide range of users, and does so well.